


Old Roads of Home

by Valerin Berenghar (Valerin)



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Coda, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Implied Relationships, One Shot, Set after episode 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valerin/pseuds/Valerin%20Berenghar
Summary: After the battle of Nevarro, Din decides to go back with the kid to a place they both call home.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Omera
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47
Collections: Din and Omera (The Mandalorian)





	Old Roads of Home

**Author's Note:**

> Clearing out some of my old WIP-folders and I found this, an alternative opening to a longer story I worked on back when season one aired, but I never got around finishing it. Regardless, I figured someone would enjoy a one-shot about these dorks meeting again and being cute. :)

The wind carried the promise of winter. Golden leaves danced from the crimson crowns above, pirouetting down an invisible spiral and spinning through the air as they let themselves be carried down. The last time they had been here, the air had been hot with the scent of earth and water, the leaves had been dark green and full, and birdsong had sailed on the warm breeze; the vivid memory felt like a stark contrast against the scarlet scenery around them.

Din thumbed the control panel on the hull and in the next, the telescopic gate began whirring as it slowly folded itself back onto the ship. The spindly edges of the glade were just wide enough to house the Razor Crest and while the location was hardly ideal with the withering foliage, it would have to do.

Cutting corners had become something of the new norm during the last months. He didn’t like to think of himself as careless, but if the year had done anything to him, it had weathered him thin. Caring for the kid had yanked him out on deep water; deep enough that he’d been convinced he’d drown at times, but then there were moments where the struggle, the peril was all worth it.

In the close distance, the kid cooed merrily. Din slowly turned away from the ship and glanced at where the little one stood in the center of the clearing. His big ears were perked up and his eyes were wide as he watched a sole leaf twirl wondrously in its descent toward the ground; everything about him radiated innocence.

Dry leaves crunched beneath his boots as he slowly approached the kid, quickly earning himself the kid’s attention. In the background, the ship screeched one last time before the gate finally merged with the hull and the world fell peacefully silent around them.

The kid looked up at him, head coming to tilt slightly to the side.

“You ready to get going?” Din asked, the fatigue bleeding right through.

For an aimless moment, all they did was to stare at each other.

When the harsh wind blew through with its icy bite, the kid looked away first. The inquisitive lines on his face were replaced by something far less content and he raised both his arms up at Din, silently begging to be picked up.

Din gingerly crouched down, groaning at the effort before he took the kid in his arms and slowly rose to his full height once more. The little one settled habitually in the crook of his arm, nestling tight against the blackened beskar. He pulled the cloak forward so that it hung over the pauldron and covered the kid, sheltering him from the elements.

Once the kid was comfortable, Din renewed the grip around the satchel he’d packed for them. He glanced over his shoulder one last time, looking back up at the Razor Crest.

The battle of Nevarro had cost them everything, but at least they had won. No one was breathing down their necks anymore and the worst thing that could happen was scavengers trying to earn a quick buck, but even that would be a long shot. It was one of the reasons why he’d decided that they would return – because things were just easier here and right now, they needed that.

Something easy, something normal even if it was just an illusion.

He turned away from the ship and steered his steps north. The wind breathed onto his back almost as if urging him forward, rustling the dry canopies above and sending another batch of golden leaves floating to the ground.

One part of him wondered if the kid even knew where they were—where they were going. The odds were pretty slim, but the thought of how happy the kid would be made each step feel somewhat less heavy.

The stillness around them made him painfully aware of the aches in his body; the gaping hunger, the throbbing pain in his shoulder, and the slight pinch in his ribs as he breathed in and out. It’d been a quick jump from Nevarro to here, and in between needing some shut-eye and tending to the kid, there hadn’t been any time – or energy – to properly clean up after the skirmish.

He just needed to get them to the village and then they would be alright. The thought almost became like a mantra as he trekked through the shriveled shrubbery.

After what felt like an eternity, he saw the dull light at the edge of the forest and that had him speed up his steps, only to come to a screeching halt when he reached the last tree before the field opened up. In the close distance, the village waited for them. Beyond the krill ponds stood the pointy huts tall against the darkly clouded sky and a pillar of smoke rose high from what seemed like the village’s center and that was the perfect evidence that—

—he met her gaze even across the field.

The world around him fell quiet. For a fleeting moment it felt as if the stars aligned, the planets convened, and the skies opened – a moment where he felt all the tension drain from his shoulders because _she_ was there. In his throes to reach the edge of the forest, to reach the village, he hadn’t properly gazed over the field between the forest and the village, but there she was.

Dressed in that blue attire he’d seen her wear so many times before.

Her gaze burned right through him, stirring up butterflies in his stomach and it wasn’t until she took the first stride toward him that he became acutely aware of how hard his heart pounded in his chest. She moved closer like there wasn’t a second to spare – she was running and she wasn’t slowing down. The tension returned to his shoulders, bracing a moment before she threw her arms around him, carefully minding the baby in his arms even as she pulled them both in for a hug.

“You’re back,” she said, bright smile coloring her voice. Din wasn’t sure what warmed him the most as he stood there – the sight of that beautiful smile, or the warmth radiating off her as he gently wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her even closer.

“We’re back,” he said and for a second, he was convinced that she would feel the heavy pounding of his heart even through the beskar.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
